Tie rack



Oct. 7, 1947. J, FOWLER 2,428,454

TIE RACK Filed May 6, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l InvG/772107 zferwa/ fj-@wierOct. 7,

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1947. H, J, FOWLER 2,428,454

TIE RACK F'il'ed May `6, l194A 2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 2O l ZDB Patented Oct.7, 1947 UNITED STATES vPTIEIWI" OFFCE TIE RACK Herman J. Fowler,Chicago, Ill.

Application May 6, 1944, Serial No. 534,480

(Cl. Zal- 104) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tie racks andhas among its objects to provide a novel device having a plurality ofracks for supporting a multiplicity of elongated neck ties such ascommonly worn by men; euch device being characterized by novel featuresand advantages such as compact and durable con struction, economy ofspace when not in use, a visible presentation of all ties by a simplesimultaneous forward movement of all racks whereby all of the tiessupported on the racks are simultaneously quickly brought to view forselective individual removal from any one of the racks.

Another object of my invention resides in the provision of a devicecomprising a plurality of elongated racks each having partitionedportions for retaining a plurality of ties in spaced posi-s tions oneach rack and including pivotal means whereby the plurality of racks mayreadily be simultaneously moved into compact collapsed position or intoopen position to permit individual withdrawal of a selected tie from anyof the racks.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tie rack which mayreadily be manufactured at comparatively low cost from various materialssuch as metal, plastics or wood.

Still another object of my invention resides in the provision of adevice comprising a single stationary support and a plurality oflaterally disposed racks centrally supported on pivotal means havingpivotal connection with the stationary support and with the rack.

A still further object of my invention is found in the provision of aplurality of horizontally disposed tie racks supported on pivotal meansso arranged that in all angular positions of the pivotal means the racksare always vertically and laterally relatively spaced, such relativevertical and lateral spacing being at a minimum when the device is incollapsed position and progressively increased during the movement ofthe parts of the device into open position.

With the above and vother objects in view; my invention consists in thenovel combination, construction and arrangement of the parts shown inpreferred embodiment in the attached drawings, described in thefollowing specifications, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a tie rack embodying my invention andshowing the device in open posi/tion;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tierack shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the tie rack shown in open position;

Fig. 4 is an end View similar to that shown in Fig. 3 but showing thedevice in closed position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

As preferably illustrated in the drawings, my improved tie-supportingdevice comprises a support Il] consisting of a preferably rectangularback plate having a hat rear face IiiA, at least two openings IB forscrews or other securing means whereby the back plate may be secured toa at wall or door face, and a recess IC for receiving the inner ends ofa plurality of arms II, I2 and I3 for pivotal support therein.

The front or outer end of each arm il, I2 and I3 carries a tie rack Illconsisting of an elongated bar-like member of preferably circularcross-section. Each tie rack Ill is preferably provided with spacedcollar-like narrow circular partitions IllA and which partitions MA arepreferably formed integrally with the bar-like members I4 and areslightly greater in diameter than the portions MB between thecollar-like partitions MA.

The collar-like partitions IIIA are spaced apart to providetie-supporting portions MB of suitable length to receive, between eachpair of the collar-like partitions MA, a medial portion of a mans necktie looped thereover.

The device could obviously be made with plain round rods eachconstituting a horizontal rack lil. The collar-like partitions MA arepreferable for retaining the ties in spaced-apart positions on theracks.

In the manufacture of the rack member Iii with the integral spacedpartitions iA, each rack member I4 is made in two sections havingopposite ends inserted into a transverse opening in the supporting arm.The adjacent ends of the rack member I4 are in abutment with one anotherand are preferably secured within the transverse arm opening by frictionfit or in wood construction by glue and such adjacent rack mem ber endsare provided with the circular partitions MA so spaced from each end ofthe rack member that the faces of the circular partitions securelyengage opposite side faces of the piv-oted arm as more clearlyillustrated in Fig. 6 thus strengthening such connection.

The inner or rear ends of the arms II, I2 and I3 are mounted for pivotalmovement about pivot pins I5 frictionally or otherwise secured in thesupport I0.

To afford simultaneously movement of the arms and rack members into andout of closed position, the arms II, I2 and I3 are pivotallyinterconnected preferably by a pair of vertically disposed links I6having pivotal connection with and rela-v tive movement to the arms bymeans of pivot pins I'I which are securely fixed in the arms by frictionfit or in wood construction glue-secured in the arms. e'

To facilitate pivotal movement of the arms II, I2 and I3 about the pivotpins or dowels I5 Vand of the links I Srabout the pins or dowels Il, YIprefer to provide a washer I8 of metal or fiber on each side of each armat such pivot points so that such washers I8 are positioned at oppositesides of each arm between the inner sides of the recess IUC and theinner faces of the links I 6.

To limit the lowermost position of the racks I4 and their supportingarms II, I2 and I3,` I provide at least the lower one I3 of said armswith a flattened seat portion i9 which, when the racks I4 and arms areswung downwardly into open position, willcome into abutment with theinner face of the recess i60 to thus prohibit .further downward movementof the arms and racks.

It is obvious that all of the arms II, I2 and I3 could be provided withsuch position-limiting abutmentseat portions I9 as shown by the dottedlines in Fig. 5.

In order to retain the rack members I4 and their supporting arms II, I2and I3 in raised position when not in use, the upper arm II is providedwith a retainer 20 having an enlarged head 20A which is adapted, under aslight ilexing of its stem portion 213B which connects the retainer 2Gwith the arm II, to frictionally engage with the groove or notch IBD tothereby retain the arms and rack members M in raised position as shownin Figs. 4 and 5.

To facilitate lowering of the rack members I4 into the open positionshown in'Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, a looped string 2l or a wire ring may besecured to the outer end of the arm I3 as shown in the illustrations.

It isrobvious that the principle of my invention may readily be embodiedin a devicevcon- It is also obvious that each centrally supported rackI4 may be made of wood inV two sections From the above description andattached drawings it will readily be apparent that my improved tie rackholds a comparatively great number of ties; that when not in use, itreadily folds into compact form and occupies a comparatively smallspace; and when unfolded all ties are visible and any selected ties arereadily accessible for withdrawal from the rack.

I claim:

1. A rack device comprising a single elongated Y vertically disposedsupport having a centrally longitudinally disposed recess therein, aplurality vof laterally disposed racks, a'single supporting arm for eachof said racks, said arms being pivotally connected within said recessto'said support v at relatively vertically aligned spaced points andwhich are secured at opposite ends in one of i the supporting arms,however, in metal construction the .rack bar could be made of one pieceand circular or other shaped partitions MA could thereafter be spotwelded or otherwise secured to the rack bar in selected spaced positionsthereon.

Furthermore, a continuous centrally supported wood bar could also beused and in such type the tier-supporting portions I 4B could consist ofspaced elongated notches in a wood stick of round or rectangularcross-section.

It will be observed that the design and construction of my improved tierack is such that i in the movements of its parts into and out ofcollapsed or folded position, the links I6 always maintain a parallelrelation to the support I0, likewise, during such movements, the threearms i I `I I2 and I3 move in unison and are. always in all angularpositions thereof parallel one to the other and that in'all such angularpositions the Ycenters of all rack members are intersected by a straightline X as indicated in Fig. 4, the maintenance of these structuralrelationships Vaiifords a preferable design andthe inherent advantagesthereof.

2. A tie rack devicefcomprisingV a vertically elongated support having aflat rear face and openings for securing means Vwhereby said support maybe secured in stationary position'upon a fiat vertical wall, saidsupport having a vertical recess in the front face thereof, a pluralityof laterally disposed tie racks each of elongated .bar

form of circuiar crossesection having longitudinally spaced annularpartitions thereon providing spaced tie-supporting portionstherebetween, a. supporting arm for each rack, each of said .farms beingconnected near the outer free end thereofY to an end portion of the rackand having the otherY end thereof disposed within said recess and.pivotally connected to said support, said arms .being verticallyaligned and pivoted in said support at relatively verticallyspacedpoints and the'lengthsf of said arms increasing progressivelydownwardly Y whereby said racks supported on the free ends of said armsare disposed in relatively different vertical and horizontal planes inallangular positions of said arms, a pair of links, mounted adjacent toopposite sides of said arms, pivotally connected to said arms, wherebysaid arms and saidracks move upwardly 'or downwardly in unison when the'low--V ermost and longest i of said arms is manuallyv ,Y

moved into respectivelyraised or lowered position, and means releasablyretaining said arms;

and racks in raised position.

3. A rack comprising a unitary vertically elon-V` gated support 'havinga vertical recess disposed centrallyof and in the outer face thereofcarrying a plurality of vertically aligned transverse pins extendingtransversely through said recess, a sin.

gle arm pivotally mounted at one end thereof on each of said pins withinsaid recess, said arms! being vertically `aligned Yand the lengths ofsaid arms increasing progressively downwardly fromY the shortestuppermost arm'to the longest lowermostarm, a horizontal rack bar carriedon the free end of each of saidarms, a vertically dis` posed linkpivotally connected with each of said' arms whereby said arms are caused'to swingV in unison about said transverse pins, means for retainingsaid arms in raised positionV when said arms and racks carried therebyYare swung \up-.

wardly, and abutment means onat leastg-one of said arms adapted todirectly engage the inwardly `disposed face of said recess in saidsuppo'rtfforv l retaining said arms in substantially horizontaflipo-Ysiton when said arms and racks carried thereby are swung downwardly totheir lowermost position.

4. A rack comprising a vertically elongated support having a front faceprovided with a. vertically disposed opening, a plurality of laterallydisposed elongated racks, a single supporting arm for each rack which iscarried on the outer free end of the arm, a pivot for each arm carriedon said support and disposed between said front face and the rear sideof said support, the inner end portion of each of said arms extendingthrough said opening for pivotal support on one of said pivots, saidarms being vertically aligned and pivoted within said support atrelatively vertically spaced points and the lengths of said armsincreasing progressively downwardly whereby said racks are disposed inrelatively different vertical and horizontal planes in allangularpositions of -said arms,

and link means pivotally connecting said arms 20 whereby said racks andarms move upwardly or downwardly in unison when the lowermost longest ofsaid arms is manually moved into respectively raised or loweredposition.

HERMAN J. FOWLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the i file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 210,177 Wing Nov. 19, 1878664,063 Stare Dec. 18, 1900 977,921 Zizinia Dec. 6, 1910 1,717,981Kirshner June 18, 1929 2,099,495 Mirel Nov. 16, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 7,226 Australia Aug. 18, 1927 655,184 France Dec. 8,1928

